Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding ( to us non-Brits, that's a steamed cake) using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet. Now, what is suet you ask? Well, at first thought I kept thinking," Are they wanting me to put bird feed suet in my steamed pudding?!?! " No, no...that's not what was being advised. According to the Daring Bakers website:
"Suet is the hard but flaky fat found on the inside of a cow or sheep around the kidneys and that area of the body." Well, animal kidney fat is indeed always the first ingredient I crave when making my baked goods :) OK, ok, so maybe not. Call me unadventurous if you must. Instead, I opted for the packaged suet...vegetable suet. Now, just so you know... you are not going to find this down at the local Winn Dixie. This is a British staple. I had to order it online. I have read that you can replace the suet with butter or shortening if desired. But, since I was going for authentic, I went to the effort to get the suet. For the challenge, I made two steamed puddings. The first, Sticky Toffee Pudding, was for practicing the steaming method (this did not contain suet) and the second was to be my actual (suet containing) Daring Baker's pudding. Honestly, I really loved my first pudding the most. Everything about it was wonderful. It was moist beyond belief and sweet enough to lock your jaw. Just how I prefer my dessert ;) The second, Figgy Pudding, was a bit more sophisticated. It was not as sweet and a bit drier and denser. I wanted to adore the Figgy Pudding. Mainly, because I wanted to make it at Christmas and go around singing "Oh bring me some Figgy Pudding, oh bring me some Figgy pudding..." But, so is life. Perhaps, I'm just not British enough to love the authentic suet-filled figgy pudding. Or perhaps, I just really don't care for figs. Who knows?!? I do highly recommend the steaming method for these cakes (puddings). I had never even considered steaming a cake, but, wow, it makes for a super moist cake! I will certainly make these puddings again, perhaps at Christmas. So, give one/or both of these recipes a try and see which you like. Then, you will have a unique new recipe to try on your family during the holidays. Thank you Ester for this unique challenge!! Enjoy!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with parchment or waxed paper.Combine the dates and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and gradually stir in the baking soda (it will foam up), and set aside.In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar to the butter, and cream until fluffy. Without stopping the mixer, add 2 of the eggs and mix until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the dates and mix until combined. Repeat until all the flour mixture and the dates are incorporated into the batter. Pour into the baking pan and bake about 40 minutes, until firm and set in the center. Let cool in the pan. When cool, turn out of the pan onto a baking sheet and peel off the parchment paper. The recipe can be made through this step up to 2 days in advance.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and the syrup. Over medium heat stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Gradually stir in the cream. Return the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, and remove from the heat. (The sauce can be made a few days in advance, stored in a covered jar, and refrigerated. To rewarm, bring the jar to room temperature, place in a small pan of water, and place over low heat.)

Directions

Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Mix together the rest of the ingredients, except the egg whites, adding just the yolks. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Grease a pudding mold dredged with sugar and pour in batter. Cover the mold with its lid or cover tightly with foil. Steam for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of your mold. Serve hot with hard sauce. If you are not serving the pudding immediately, store in the refrigerator soaking in 1 ounce of brandy. Add 1 ounce each week.

Serve with warmed Hard Sauce.

Hard sauce:

1/4 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon dark rum (or substitute half & half)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter in an electric mixer until pale in color. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the flavorings and mix in then adjust, to taste.Thin to desired consistency.

Friday, April 23, 2010

I'm ba-a-ack.....We took a short trip to enjoy a little time lazing on the beach. Since returning, I've been recovering from our vacation. You know the old saying "Need a vacation to recover from my vacation" Wow, truer words have never been spoken ("Truer"...I'm thinking that's not a real word...we'll pretend like it is today:)Yet, though its always tiring when vacationing with little ones, we had a great time. My little Runwild Princesses could not get enough of the waves and sand. I started to believe they were cultivating sand in their little swimsuits. And, the oldest decided she could not possibly live another moment if she did not have a hula outfit. (Yes, she is that dramatic...not sure were she gets it from) Here's a pic of her new daily uniform:

The coconut bra was NOT optional...And of course the little one had to have her go at it as well :)

Great times and lots of great memories, but it sure has cut into my baking time!! So, today's recipe is extra yummy to make up for it. It includes that old standby combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I'm sure there's someone out there that doesn't like the combination, but I haven't found any of those people yet. The original recipe for this was found over at Picky Palate. I love, love, LOVE Picky Palate! In fact I'll be posting another of her recipes soon. There's just so many good ones to try! On this cookie, Jenny suggested you use Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. I did....Glad I did, but I'm mad at Reese's for not selling these year round. Man, those things are to die for. I can't explain why they're better than just a regular peanut butter cup, but they are!! Even without the peanut butter cups/eggs, the base of this cookie is unreal. Seriously, these are probably one of the best cookies I've tried in quite sometime. Although, I could be a bit biased due to the peanut butter/chocolate combo:) Enjoy!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

From the time most of us are little girls (if this is indeed your sexual orientation), we are taught to braid. We braid our Barbie's hair, our mommy's hair, our friend's hair. Most of us even learn to braid our own hair. So, why then have I been so intimidated to braid a little dough?!?! I have neglected fascinating recipes such as this one, due to the fact that I would have to try to braid the dough. I can braid just fine, and thankfully I took it upon myself to step out of my little comfort box on Easter morning to try this braided coffee cake. Thank heavens it only took me 30 years (+/-) . To be honest, its really not even braiding, its just overlapping. I've wasted so much dough braiding time! But, No more....
Anyways, this recipe was wonderful. The pastry dough was out of this world! Just make sure you don't overwork it. Many a delicate pastry have met a tough demise due to being overworked. Just mix it until it comes together. No need to work your frustrations out on this fine recipe :) You will end up with a flaky, rich dough that is worthy of your finest breakfast companions. Enjoy!

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk vigorously to distribute the baking soda and salt.

With a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers, cut the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture.

Quickly and gently blend in the milk.Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead VERY LIGHTLY for 4-5 strokes.NOTE This is the step at which you can ruin the coffeecake. If you overwork the dough, the pastry will be tough. Just gather the dough together and don’t worry about making it smooth. It will still look a little rough. That’s perfect.

Thank you all so much for all the comments! I enjoyed reading them and your favorite desired brownies. So, I have a winner of that fabulous Fairytale Brownie giftbox. The winner is Laura of The Cooking Photographer www.thecookingphotographer.com (fabulous foodie blog, if you've never had a chance to check it out). Congratulations, Laura. I will be contacting you soon via email to get your shipping info. Thanks again for another fun giveaway! Oh, and a yummy recipe coming up in just a few hours...perfect breakfast for the weekend!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Coconut Cream Pie....Well, you either love it or hate it. I have a friend that has complete textural issues with coconut. I will not go into her description of this, but she's a coconut hater, obviously. But, not me. Coconut makes me think of tropical escapes. Fruity drinks and lounging on the beach. Though, interestingly enough, I read somewhere that about 150 people die each year from coconuts falling on their heads. So, I'm thinking I might lounge with my fruity drink away from the coconuts. Well, you never know :)
Back to my point...so, I like coconut. No doubt. Yet, I'm so hesitant to make anything containing coconut for others due to the overwhelming number of coconut adversaries out there. But, last week, I decided to step out of the norm. I decided to throw caution to the wind. Ok, ok... so not really. My in-laws, whom I knew to be coconut lovers, were coming over for dinner. So, I decided to try my hand at a homemade coconut cream pie. Oh, I was so glad I did!! And, since I enjoy adding excess stress to my day when I have company coming over, I also decided to attempt to make my own pie crust. Well, this worked out to my advantage in the end, since the recipe made 3 pie crusts. I was able to make 2 more pies for Easter dinner. Multi-tasking in disguise!
I have to say, I was very pleased with every aspect of this pie. It was super creamy and incredibly flavorful. The pie crust was flaky and perfect (not that I would expect anything else from a recipe that the Pioneer Woman has posted on her blog!). If you are a coconut enthusiast, like me, you will not be sorry you tried this recipe!! Enjoy!

Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine half and half/cream of coconut, eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 c of the coconut and the vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Pour into pie shell. Top with whipped cream and remaining coconut. Chill atleast 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. Store in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)

3 cups All-purpose Flour

1 whole Egg

5 Tablespoons Cold Water

1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions:

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge. Bake according to pie recipe directions or if pre-baking, bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. *You will follow the pre-baking method for this pie

Stabilized Whipped Creamvia TasminCakes
Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
heavy whipping cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon
In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.
[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]

Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a Mother's Day box of Fairytale Brownies!!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Not so long ago, there were some dark times brewing at the Sinful Southern Sweets house. The Runwild Princesses' were both sick with the crud. Runny noses, coughs. You know kids are just the epitome of "Germs Gone Wild." Well, then...it happened. Yes, I got it. You know the old sayin' "When Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" Well, Momma wasn't happy, to say the least. You know, when you're the Momma, and you get sick, there is no down time. No sick days. I always get a nice chuckle at the Dr's office when they say "Now rest as much as possible." Seriously?!?!.....Let's not even go there. Anyways. To make the whole sick escapade even more delightful, the worst possible punishment for a Food Junkie was bestowed upon me.

I lost my sense of taste and smell....for 6 days. It was torture. I'm serious. If the Russians ever decided to come get me and try to torture me for information (Oh, I have information. Don't act like we don't get good Russian gossip down here below the Mason Dixon line.....we hear stuff, really :) they would just have to figure out how to mess with my senses. So, for 6 days, I did not cook. What was the use? I certainly couldn't tell if what I was cooking was good or not. My poor family. They caught the brunt of my complaints. I'm thinking Mr. Sweets must have started pleading for God to just thrust the pain of the sickness upon him, because soon, he came down with it too! To make a long story short, on day 6, the heavens parted and God bestowed a touch of mercy upon me and gave me a teaser of a scent here and a taste there. So what did I do??? I made these Candy Bar Cookies. I'm not certain if they are really as good as I thought they were, or if I was simply so ecstatic to be able to taste something of substance. But, I remember them being purely divine. So divine that I ate half of them all by myself. Then again.... I think I shall go and make them again just to make sure I'm remembering correctly :) Enjoy!

In a large saucepan, combine the cracker crumbs, sugars, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes more.
Grease a 9×13 pan and place a single layer of Ritz crackers along the bottom. Top with half of the graham cracker crumb mixture. Repeat layers once and then top with the remaining Ritz crackers (I actually topped mine with about 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels.
In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave on low, stopping to stir occasionally. Do not over cook or the chocolate will burn. Pour over the crackers (pretzels). Top with M&M's at this point. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars and enjoy!

*Remember to enter my Giveaway for a Mother's Day box of Fairytale Brownies!!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Well, I mentioned at the close of my last giveaway that my next giveaway was what Fairytales were made of....and that is certainly true. Its none other than Fairytale Brownies. If you have never heard of Fairytale Brownies you are in for a sweet surprise. I have been a fan of Fairytale Brownies for quite sometime. I especially love the story of the Fairytale Brownie Co. It is founded by 2 elementary school friends. The brownie recipe belonged to one of the founders. It was a 50+ year old family brownie recipe using Callebaut Belgian chocolate. Wow, would I ever love to have that recipe!
Most of the time, I believe that packaged goods are not generally as tasty as homebaked goods, but that is not the case with this product. The company that perfects these lovely brownies takes such pride in using natural, fresh ingredients to make their secret recipe, that it is every bit as fabulous as anything you will produce in your own kitchen. You will love everything about this product. From the beautiful packaging, to the unbelievably rich brownies, to the cute little fairy that graces all the packaging. These delights are quite an indulgence on their own, but you know I had to give you a recipe to go along with this giveaway. And oh....is it a sinful indulgence. Can we say "Hello again, Mr. Treadmill!" But its worth it!
I made a homemade chocolate ice cream, recipe courtesy of Ms. Martha Stewart and add these lovely brownies into the mix at the end of the freezing cycle. Love her or hate her, you have to admit, Martha knows her stuff in the kitchen. I don't believe I've ever made anything from her recipe collection that was not great. This chocolate ice cream, was no exception! Just look at Princess Runwilder...

She thought it was so good, she wanted to share it with her shirt. I'm fairly certain no amount of Oxyclean will get those stains out. Perhaps, I could send it to those cute little fairies over at Fairytale brownies. Maybe they could work some magic on it :) Enjoy! (Don't forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway :)

Oh, you sooo want to win this giveaway!!! But, if you can't wait, you can certainly buy it here. This would be great to give to your wonderful Mom, or you could just keep it for yourself and buy one for her after you see how truly indulgent they are :) Note, you must be a Google Follower of Sinful Southern Sweets to enter. After that, here's how to enter:
1) Go to the Fairytale Brownies website and tell me what your favorite flavor would be of their brownies.
2)For an extra entry, follow me on Twitter. Leave me a comment letting me know you're following me.
3) Tweet this giveaway. Leave me a comment here with a link to the tweet. You can do this once a day.
4)Blog about this giveaway. 3 extra entries for this. Please leave 3 separate comments :)

This giveaway will end April 16th at midnight. Winner selected via Random.org. I will announce the winner on the morning of April 17th. Fairytale Brownies will ship the prize directly to the winner. Good Luck!!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Wow, I can't believe its already time for Easter. I found this recipe a couple of years ago and have been waiting for Princess Runwild to be of the appropriate age to understand the symbolism of these Ressurection Rolls. Princess Runwilder slept in yesterday, so we had the perfect opportunity to try this great Easter recipe. Before we began, I explained all the elements of the recipe and what each represented in the Easter season: the crescent roll represents the tomb where Jesus' body was laid, the marshmallow represents the body of Christ, the butter, cinnamon and sugar represent the oils and herbs used in the preservation of the body during that period of time. So, of course Princess Runwild was all over it. She's all about Easter and knows what this holiday represents. So we carefully laid out the crescents, dipped the marshmallows in butter, rolled in cinnamon and sugar and wrapped up the tomb around the marshamallow.

I explained to Princess Runwild that the baking time represents the 3 days that Jesus laid in the tomb. Still, this girl is all about this because who doesn't love a marshmallow filled crescent for breakfast, right?!?!?
When we took the Ressurection Rolls out of the oven, we let them cool for just a moment. Then I broke one open and let Princess Runwild see this:

I realized at this point, that Princess Runwild may not have quite been at the right age for this. Despite the fact that she knew the symbolism of the empty "tomb" Princess Runwilder was a bit ticked off that her marshamallow was nowhere to be found. LOL! I should have known better :) I tried to explain that the marshmallow was still there in "Spirit." Nope, she thinks I stole her marshmallow....from all the rolls. haha! Perhaps, we shall try again next year.

Still, I love this recipe. It is a fun and interactive way for kids (perhaps a little older than Princess Runwild :) and adults to get in the kitchen and have a little fun during the Easter season. And of course, you know its good. Come on, its a crescent roll filled with butter, cinnamon-sugar coated marshmallows! You know you can't go wrong with an ingredient list like that! Enjoy!!

Resurrection Rolls
via Allrecipes
Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Separate crescent rolls into individual triangles.
In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.
Dip a marshmallow into melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture. Place marshmallow into the center of a dough triangle. Carefully wrap the dough around the marshmallow. Pinch the seams together tightly to seal in marshmallow as it melts. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat.
Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes*
*The original recipe said to bake 15 minutes, but mine were almost too brown at that point. I strongly suggest keeping an eye on them after 10 minutes.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Its tea time in the South. The spring table is set with beautiful Irish linens and the finest, frilliest china. Above us we can see the large oaks and magnolias are dripping with southern charm, also known as spanish moss. The afternoon sun is shining (but not in our eyes :) and a cool breeze blows in from the coast. The perfect day to enjoy a Paula Deen specialty known as Magnolia Trumpets.

What? So, you don't believe us southerners enjoy tea every afternoon under the moss laden oaks and magnolias as the sun gently shines down on our best tiaras and feather boas? Well, I'm just appalled at your disbelief.... OK, so perhaps I am a bit of a romantic dreamer. But, it could be true, you just never know...

Alright, so really this is the way I imagine that these beautiful Magnolia Trumpets should be served. They are so delicate with their crisp caramel shells and fluffy white filling. They would absolutely be perfect for any ladies gathering. I have a hard time believing a good ole' boy could fully appreciate the full beauty of these little gems. I'm not even sure I could enjoy seeing a manly-man holding a pink sugared trumpet shaped dessert. Well, on second thought its not such a bad vision, afterall. LOL!

Seriously, these are for your special occassions. They are quite time consuming. You can only bake 2-3 at a time. Once out of the oven, you must hand roll these to shape them into "trumpets." So, you probably won't be throwing these together at the last minute before a dinner party. Paula Deen indicates that you should wrap them over a spoon (after baking) to form their trumpet shape. I happened to have a cone roller (for making waffle cones) and I had better success with this.

Now, go get the table set for afternoon tea. I'll go find my tiara. If you start now, you should be finished making these just in time:) Enjoy!

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon Irish Cream Liqueur, optional
Filling, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Lightly grease the foil; set aside (if you don't grease the foil, the cookies will stick and be ruined).
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter, and syrup. Cook mixture over low heat until butter melts; remove from heat. Stir together flour and ginger; add dry mixture to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in Irish Cream, if desired.Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 3 to 4 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake only 2 or 3 cookies at a time because you must work quickly to form the cones before they cool and become brittle.*
Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Quickly invert cookies onto another cookie sheet, and wrap each cookie around the greased handle of a wooden spoon or a metal cone. When cookie is set, slide cookie off spoon or cone; cool on a wire rack. Fill cookies with filling.
To store: Place unfilled cookies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days or freeze unfilled cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies and fill.
*If cookie gets too brittle to roll, run back in the oven for a minute to soften. Filling:
1 1/2 cups solid shortening (Crisco)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar ( I would recommend powdered sugar)
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot milk
Cream together shortening and butter. Add sugar and beat well. Add egg white and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Add hot milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until creamy. Put into pastry tube with star tip and fill cookies.